Toll collecting apparatus for telephones



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

J J. KATO &T. H. RHODES.

TOLL COLLECTING APPARATUS FOR TBLEPHON-ES.

No. 472,169. Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

amoambo'cr Us 20.. Puma-mac" mm (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. J. KATO & T. H. RHODES. TOLL COLLECTING APPARATUS FOR TELBPHONESA No.472,169. Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE J. KATO AND THOMAS H. RHODES, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TOLL-COLLECTING APPARATUS FOR TELEPHONES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,169, dated April 5,1892. Application filed March 28, 1890. Serial No. 345,785. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J ESSE J. KATO and THOMAS H. RHODES, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Los Angeles,in the county of Los Angelesand State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Toll-Collecting Apparatus for Telephones; and we dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to nickel-in-the-slot machines, and is speciallydesigned for use in connection with telephones located for use atvarious points in cities-such as hotels, saloons, and stores-where thegeneral public may make use of the instruments.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide toll-collecting apparatus fortelephonic systems in which the charges for the use of the telephone aremade dependent upon the time the apparatus is in use; but such apparatusas have heretofore been devised and with which we are familiar are moreor less complex in construction and expensive in the manufacture andmaintenance, requiring the constant attention of an operative or employof the telephone company to keep the timemovements of such instrumentswound and the telephone in working condition.

The object of our invention is to provide a toll-collectin g apparatusfor use in connection with an ordinary telephone outfit at a publicstation or at a subscribers office, where others than the lessee areliable to use the instrument, and to dispense with the services of anattendant or employ of the company at such station. To this end we haveprovided improved appliances by which the person desiring to use thetelephone must first deposit a coin or equivalent device and also windthe time-movement before the instrument can be used, thereby dispensingwith the services of an employe of the company in doing this work. Thetoll or charge to be made for the use of the telephone may bearbitrarily determined and any desired coin or equivalent devicerepresenting a monetary value equal to the toll or charge to be made maybe adopted. The mechanism is so arranged that communication with thecentral office or with a subscriber to the telephoneexchange cannot behad until the requisite deposit has been made and the clock-work wound;but another subscriber or an operat-ive at the exchange or centraloffice may at any time actuate the bell or signal at the station wherethe toll-collecting device is located.

The invention will first be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of thisspecification.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference are usedto designate like parts of the apparatus, Figure l is a perspective viewof the invention, with the upper portion of the toll-box broken away, soas to show the toll-collecting mechanism inclosed therein. Fig. 2 isadiagrammatio representation of the toll collector connected with anordinary telephone outfit. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the inventionwith the cover of of the toll-box removed. Fig. 4 is a side elevationlooking at the toll-collecting mechanism at the left side of Fig. 3, thetollbox or casing being shown in section; and Fig. 5 is a similar viewlooking at the mechanism at the opposite side of said Fig. 3.

A in the drawings designates the inclosing casing or toll-box, withinwhich is placed the toll-collecting appliances, which box may be made ofwood or any suitable material and of any desired style and dimensions.This box is provided with a cash-drawer at the bottom thereof, intowhich the coins are directed, such drawer being provided with a lock andkey by which it may be rendered inaocessible to any one except theperson or persons empowered by the telephone company to collect thecoins.

The toll-collecting appliances are located in the casing above thecash-drawer, so as to render the same accessible to the employs of thecompany for the purpose of inspection or repairs without at the sametime affording access to the money-drawer.

The box A is provided with a slit B for the introduction of the coins,and below this slit is placed a chute O, by which the coins are directedonto a balance-lever D,which is preferably made in the form of a troughfor the purpose of receiving the coin or other circular device in suchposition that it will roll.

down the trough, which is tipped thereby. When the coin reaches thelower end of the trough,it will drop into a second chute E, by which itis directed into a cash-drawer at the bottom of the box.

The leverD is provided with an adjustable weight or counter-balanced-,bywhich it may be regulated. This lever is supported upon a suitableframe-work at the back of the easing or box, and in front thereof may besecured the frame F, which supports a train of gearing comprising aclock-work of ordinary construction, save that instead of the usualescapement and pallet we provide a fan a, mounted upon a shaft whichcarries a pinion b, which meshes with the gear-wheel a, connectingwiththe train of gearing of the clockwork, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 4.The fan a rotates in the path of a stop-plate G, which is held normallyin engagement with the fan by means of a spring g, and which isprovidedwith a projection h for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

- tion or ledge 11.

H designates the main shaft of the clock mechanism, to which the usualmainspring is attached, and H is a crank-handle, which may be detachablysecured to said shaft for the purpose of winding the spring.

Tothe shaftHis securedacam-shaped disk or dial-plate I, the peripheralportion of which for about one-third of its circumferencaas from 0 to 0,is formed with a projecting por- The dial-plate I may be indented orpreferably cut at J ,and the cut portion bent upwardly from the openingthus formed in the plate, so as to form an incline lip j, overhangingsaid opening.

Beneath the dial-plate I is pivoted a springpressed lever K, whose upperend is pressed normally by the spring against the under side of thedial-plate. When the dial-plate is thrown into the position shown inFig. 1, with the end of the lever K resting in the opening beneaththeoverhanging lip j, the opposite cam-shaped end 7c of said lever willdrop below the projecting portion h of the stop G, so as to permit saidstop to engage the fan a and arrest the movement of the clock-work; butwhen the dial-plate is rotated the end is of the lever K will beelevated and engage the projecting portion h of the stop and release thefan, so as to set the clock-work in motion. This motion of theclock-work will continue until the upper end of the lever K is forcedinto the opening J beneath the lip j, whereupon the stop G will bereleased by the lever and will engage the fan so as to stop the clockmechanism.

arm Z resting against the back of the casing in position to engage aninclined plate (1, secured to the end of the balance-lever D when thelatter is tilted by the deposit of a coin. The pivoted arm or pawl l issustained in a vertical position upon the arm Z of the lever L by meansof a spring Z which spring allows the pawl l to rock backward upon itspivot,

so as to permit the pin 01 upon the dial-plate to be turned back withoutaffecting the lever;

plate the pin will engage said pawl and rock the lever L upon its pivot,so as to cause the arm Z of the lever to raise the end of thebalance-lever D and restore the same to its normal position after havingbeen tipped by the deposit of a coin.

M M designate two contact-springs, which are held normally in contact bythe. balancelever D, but which will separate when re- ,leased by saidlever. {trically connected with the binding-post N and with a brassplate at, which may be secured to'the frame of the clock-work, as shownin Fig. 3, by means of an intervening insulat- Zing-plate n of rubber orother suitable ma- Iterial. The plate at is provided with acontact-spring M, which is arranged in such relation to the peripheralportion of the dial- ''plate I as to make contact therewith only dur-The spring M is elecing about one-third of the revolution of the latterand while impinging upon the projecting portion or ledge iof said plate,being held normally out of engagement therewith during the remainingportion of the revolution of said plate. The spring M is electricallyconnected with the binding-post N, as shown in Fig. 3, and when incontact with the spring M the current will pass from the bindingpost Nto the spring M, thence to thespring M, and thence to the binding-postN, taking a short circuit through said springs, and when thecontact-springs are disconnected and the clock-work not in motion thecurrent will pass from the binding-post N to the springM, thence to thebrass plate at, through the contact-spring 91 to the dial-plate I, andthence through the intermediate electrical connections to the wiringconnecting with the binding-post N, it being understood, of course, thatduring this time the ledge t of the dialplate will be in contact withthe spring-n It lbut upon the forward movement of the dial- IIO willtherefore be understood that with the usual telephone outfit connectedwith the tollcollector, as indicated in Fig. 2, electrical connectionmay be established with the telephone through the local circuit in thetoll-box, so as to permit the operator at the central office or asubscriber at any station upon the system to operate the magnetocall-bell; but before the person desiring to use the telephone at theplace or station where the toll-collector is located can do so it willbe necessaryfor him to deposit a suitable coin or equivalent device of apredetermined character and value in order to open the local circuit andbreak the electrical connection through the contactsprings and thedial-plate, which can only be done by depositing the requisite coin andturning the crank II, so as to cause the ledge upon the dial-plate todisengage the spring a and simultaneously wind the clock-work. By thismeans the user ofthe telephone is compelled not only to deposit acoinbefore using the telephone, but also to wind the clock, so that to keepthe toll-collector in operative condition it is only necessary to keepthe instrument in perfect working order without the annoyance andexpense incident to the use of a collecting device, the time-movement ofwhich must be kept in working condition by an operative or employ of thetelephone company.

Our toll-collector is also adapted to be used in connection with anyordinary telephone outfit by simply connecting the same with the wiringthereof in the manner indicated, the toll-box being placed beside orunderneath the telephonic apparatus, and the circuitconnections being soarranged that the local circuit through the toll-box must be brokenbefore the call-bell or other signaling device can be actuated. Thedeposit of a coin or the winding of the clock-work alone will notsuffice to establish electrical connection with the line, so as topermit the telephone to be used, for the reason that when the localcircuit is broken by depositinga coin only, without winding the clock,or vice versa, the circuit will still be established, in one casethrough the springs and in the other through the parts N n a I N, sothat by the use of this double circuit any person desiring to use thetelephone must not only deposit a coin, but also wind the clock beforethe necessary circuit connections can be made, and it is thereforeimpossible for designing persons to use the telephone by simply windingthe clock without at the same time droppingacoininto the slot. As longas the current is closed through either of the double circuits in thetoll-collecting apparatus no current can be generated, so as to actuatethe magneto callbell. lVith the arrangement shown our timemovement isregulated so as to run only five minutes, at the end of which time theelectric connections will be reestablished, so that a subscriber cannotcall another subscriber or ring up the central office without droppinginanother nickel. It will be understood, of course, that the time-movementmaybe regulated, so as to run fast or slow, by any of the well-knownmeans employed for regulating clock-trains, and thereby increase ordiminish at pleasure the time during which the telephone may be used bythe deposit of a single coin.

It will of course be understood that various modifications may be madein the construction and arrangement of parts hereinbefore describedwithout departing from the essen tial features of our invention, andhence We do not desire to be limited to the exact construction andarrangement shown and described; but

lVhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a telephone, a tollcoliecting apparatuscomprising a coin-receiver, a norm ally-closed local electric circuit,means for breaking said circuit by the deposit of a coin, asecondnormally-closed local electric circuit, clock mechanism, and connectionsfor breaking said second circuit by winding the clock, and means wherebysaid clock mechanism is adapted to simultaneously close both of saidcircuits at a predetermined point in its movement, substantially asdescribed.

2. In combination with the telephone, the toll-collecting apparatuscomprising a balance-lever, a clock-movement for resetting saidbalance-lever when tipped, and normally-closed double-circuitconnections through the toll-collecting apparatus adapted to be opened,the one by the deposit of a chin and the other by the winding of theclock mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the telephone, the I toll-box, thecontact-springs, the balance-lever for holding said springs normally incontact,

and the double-circuit connections adapted' to establish electricconnection with the telephone through said toll-box in either of twopositions of the springs through the same when in contact and throughthe dial-plate of the clock-movement when the springs are separated,substantially as described.

ai. In combination with the telephone, the toll-collecting apparatuscomprising a suitable casing, a coin-receptacle in said casing, aninclined chute for receiving the coin, a balance-lever, an electriccircuit through said casing adapted to be broken by the tipping of saidlever, a clock-movement, and a second electric circuit adapted to bebroken by winding said clock-1novement, whereby the local circuitsthrough the toll-collecting apparatus can only be broken by depositing acoin and winding the clock, substantially as described.

5. In combination with the toll-collecting apparatus, theclock-movement, the dial-plate on the main shaft thereof, the electriccircuit adapted to be established through said dialplate, the fanconnecting with the gearing of said clockwork, the stop-plate forarresting the movement of said fan, and the lever for releasing saidstop-plate when the clock is wound, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the telephone, the toll-collecting apparatuscomprising abalance-lever, an electric circuit adapted to be broken bythe tipping of said balance, a clock-movement for resetting the balance,a stop for arresting the movement of the clockwork, mechanism forreleasing said stop by winding the clock work, and mechanism adapted tobe actuated by the movement of the clock mechanism, so as to restore thebalance-lever to its normal position at a predetermined point in themovement of the clockwork, substantially as described.

- 7. In combination with an ordinary tele- I cult connections with saidtelephone through the toll-collecting apparatus for establishing anelectric circuit therethrough when the balance-lever is tipped, andmechanism for breaking said circuit connections by winding the our handsthis 17th day of March, 1890.

clock-work, substantially as described.

8. In combination with-a telephone, a tollcollecting apparatus inelectric connection therewith, coin-controlled devices for breaking theclectric'circuit through said connections, clock mechanism for resettingsaid coincontrolled devices, circuit connections normall y closed bysaid clock-work, and means for breaking saidcircuit connections bywinding the clock, substantially as described.

9. In combination with a telephone, a tollcollecting apparatus connectedtherewith,

double circuits connecting said telephone through said collectingapparatus, coin-controlled devices for breaking one of said circuits,and clock mechanism for breaking the other circuit, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set JESSE J. KATO. 'IHOS. H. RHODES.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. J ONES, R. O. CARLTON.

